Mobile eateries revolutionize L.A.’s food

Los Angeles has made a name for itself as a city with a plethora of diverse dining options. Throughout various ethnic enclaves within the metropolis, residents are given the opportunity to taste the finest Japanese garnishes, Greek flavors and Indian spices — all without leaving Los Angeles.

Meals on wheels - The Calbi barbeque truck is one of the many food trucks that frequent the USC area as well as greater Los Angeles. - Ted Gerike | Daily Trojan

Although most of these cultural eateries are found in restaurants scattered across the city, some are rolling through the city on wheels. Food trucks are becoming more and more prevalent in Los Angeles, catering to loyal followers who can appreciate a rather unconventional meal.

The USC campus, frequented by thousand of pedestrians daily, provides a high-traffic hub for the lunch trucks to park their kitchens and serve everything from pizza to Brazilian barbeque.

For the many students who live within a few blocks of campus, these restaurants-on-wheels couldn’t be more conveniently located. Highly visible, the food trucks attract hordes of hungry people during lunchtime, often crowding the busiest areas near the crosswalks off campus.

But although the food trucks generally stake out the same busy intersections that draw large numbers of pedestrians (such as the corner of Jefferson Boulevard and McClintock Avenue), they don’t always appear at the same location.

For this reason, many lunch trucks use Twitter accounts to inform their devoted customers where they are at any given moment.

USC alumna Lindsey Garrett, a former employee at Barbie’s Q — a food truck that specializes in barbeque beef and chicken sandwiches — testified to the value of using the social networking site for the business.

“Using Twitter is not only a cool way to allow customers to find us but also to integrate technology in the food truck service world,” she said.

Some trucks have gained a great deal of publicity with the help of this social media network. For example, Kogi BBQ — the self-proclaimed “Los Angeles landmark that serves up Korean Mexican tacos, day and night” — boasts a giant fan base of more than 69,000 followers on Twitter.

Kogi has garnered an immense amount of popularity, despite catering to customers from only four trucks. Kogi followers receive several Tweets per day, explaining when and where to find a truck. Kogi’s dishes uniquely combine Korean barbeque with Mexican tortillas and fresh vegetables. Under the supervision of chef Roy Choi, Kogi effectively created a menu that satisfies both the hectic schedules of Angelenos and their desire for new culinary tastes.

To make matters even more exciting, Choi announces his daily specials over Twitter, making each Kogi experience a unique one. Unlike larger restaurants, the truck manages to reach out to customers, no matter where they might be. Food trucks such as his manage to turn their lack of a permanent location into a strength rather than a weakness.

And when it comes to competing with large restaurants and diners, the food trucks are not falling behind. In fact, the India Jones Chow truck, which serves authentic gourmet food on the streets, recently received a major accolade from critics. The Chow Truck was named a finalist at the first Los Angeles Vendy Awards — originally a New York premier street showcase event where the best sidewalk chefs participate in a cook-off competition.

With so many different food trucks emerging, a distinct culture is beginning to blossom — one significantly removed from the indoor dining set.

In fact, the emergence of these trucks even spurred the creation of an online phenomena beyond the ubiquitous Tweets. Food trucks fans can visit the website findlafoodtrucks.com, which was designed to help Los Angeles residents locate trucks. The website shows 56 different trucks’ Tweets on one page, helping hungry stomachs find an option that can glut the appetite.

With all the various food truck options available in the Los Angeles area, USC students will surely find a meal they can enjoy — or at least one they can call “an interesting experience.”

However, they should take advantage of this service while they have the opportunity, because the food trucks are only getting busier.